Ecclesiastes — Lesson 8

- The book of Ecclesiastes seems to be a reflection on life
-- a life that does not give God the proper reverence or
place.

- The title Ecclesiastes means preacher.

- It would be a mistake to assume here is a preacher of
great wisdom who is preaching a normal or usual sermon
before the congregation of Israel.

- Ecclesiastes is described as a rambling lecture on many
aspects of life and its meanings -- no evident pattern or
organization to the whole of the book.

- Main thesis of the book seems to be "Vanity of vanities!
All is vanity!"

- Gaining wealth and power, indulging in frivolities and
pleasure, striving for achievement and personal recognition
are useless -- "striving after wind."

- Pessimism expressed in the book looks to the hopelessness
of life without a redeemer -- the futility of life without
hope.

- Writer shows how experiments of everything under the sun
-- from wisdom to pleasure and power and riches to
promoting social good and flawed religion -- fail to give
life meaning.

- This is the second of five lessons intended to consider
the question, "Why?"

- First, the sameness and indifference of the universe --
bad things happen to good people and with the same
frequency as they happen to bad people.

- Next, we'll look at death as the certain and final end of
life.

- Modern man in a state of denial regarding death.

- Death is the one appointment we all must keep.

- Most inconvenient thing in life, but also most obvious --
like an elephant in your kitchen.

- Listed as one of the things for which there is a season.
Eccl. 3:2 -- A time to be born, and a time to die; a time
to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted.

- This lesson will examine three primary questions:

- Why did Solomon identify this as a source of vanity?

- What has man done to explain the source of vanity apart
from God?

- Is it a source of vanity to the Christian? if not, why
not?

1. How does the subject of death relate to Solomon's
discussion

of vanity? (1:4-11; 2:16-19)

- Death seems to render many of the things he's talked
about as ultimately worthless.

- 1:4-11 -- Observing natural processes indicates that
nothing is left over from one cycle of nature to another.

- Generations of human beings come and go much as the sun
rises and sets, or as the wind blows, or streams flow.

- Wisdom. 2:16 -- For there is no remembrance of the wise
man more than of the fool forever; seeing that which now is
in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth
the wise man? as the fool.

- Wisdom can't shield us from the inevitability of death.

- 2:17 -- Solomon placed great value on what he had
accomplished. He realized that he too would die and
everything he worked for would be left behind "unto the man
that shall be after me." (18) Verse 20 seems to be saying
that this caused him to become depressed.

2. What does Ecclesiastes 3:19-21 tell us about Solomon's
perspective on the meaning of death?

- Eccl. 3:19-21 -- 19. For that which befalleth the sons of
men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them; as the
one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they all have one
breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast:
for all is vanity. 20. All go unto one place; all are of
the dust, and all turn to dust again. 21. Who knoweth the
spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the
beast that goeth downward to the earth?

Two views concerning this passage

- Key points made by Solomon:

- Evidence of our senses indicates that humans and animals
have a similar fate.

- All living things are "of the dust" and turn to dust
again.

- When we consider empirical evidence from Solomon's
perspective of everything "under the sun," there's nothing
to indicate whether humans have something more left over.
Nothing to indicate whether the spirit of man goes upward
and the spirit of the beast goes down to the earth.

- What does Solomon conclude as a result of this perception
in verse 22?

- If we can't know what will come after our lives under the
sun are over, we might as well enjoy what work we've been
given to do.

- No one who is here, under the sun, would know. The answer
must come from one who is from beyond the sun.

- If death is, as it seems to be in Ecclesiastes at this
point, the final end, then life's story is vanity with a
vengeance.

- However, there was a firm conviction among God's people
of the resurrection and of life after death. Man is not
merely a beast, but must give an account for his behavior
as stated in verse 17.

- II Samuel 12:27 -- (David speaking) I shall go to

him, but he shall not return to me.

3. How does the thought of death influence Solomon's
thoughts about riches in Ecclesiastes 5:13-17?

- 5:13-17 -- 13. There is a sore evil which I have seen
under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof
to their hurt. 14. But those riches perish by evil travail:
and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand.
15. As he came forth from his mother's womb, naked shall he
return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his
labour, which he may carry away in his hand. 16. And this
also is a sore evil, that in all points as he came, so
shall he go: and what profit hath he that laboured for the
wind? 17. All his days also he eateth in darkness, and he
hath much sorrow and wrath with his sickness.

- Solomon says he's seen people who have accumulated riches
at great sacrifice to themselves (12 -- the abundance of
the rich will not suffer him to sleep).

- Basically Solomon is saying, "Why work so hard at gaining
riches if death will only strip it all away?"

- Wealth can't endure (13-17).

- Can't be taken with us when we die. (5:15).

4. What in Ecclesiastes 9:2-6 seems to indicate Solomon's
despair regarding the subject of death?

- 9:2-6 -- 2. All things come alike to all: there is one
event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and
to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth,
and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the
sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.
3. This is an evil among all things that are done under the
sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart
of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their
heart while they live,and after that they go to the dead.
4. For to him that is joined to all the living there is
hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion. for the
living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any
thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory
of them is forgotten. 6. Also their love, and their hatred,
and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more
a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.

- The view expressed in 9:2-6 represents Solomon's view
while in rebellion against God.

- View from an earthly and materialistic viewpoint, as
characteristic of what is done "under the sun."

- Whether they live in righteous or wicked ways, with
hearts full of evil or goodness, all humans will eventually
join the dead.

- Inevitability of death poses a problem:

- They know nothing (5)

- Have no more reward (5)

- Memory of them is lost ((5)

- Empirically speaking, they have will never again have any
share in what is done under the sun (6).

- Solomon appears to be seeking for meaning only in the
affairs and pleasures of this physical life. Perhaps he's
recounting his religious philosophy during the times of his
apostasy.

- Seventh Day Adventists use verse 5 as proof of their
false doctrine that "resurrection is a restoration to life
of the non-existent dead . . . No soul is conscious after
death."

- Refuted by Christ in the story of the rich man and
Lazarus. Luke 16:19-31.

- Matthew 22:32 -- God is the God of Abraham, and of Isaac,
and of Jacob, and that he is the God of the living, not of
the dead.

- In 9:7-10 we see Epicureanism -- Eat, drink and be merry,
for tomorrow we die.

- This is a worthless philosophy, unless death is the end
of everything.

- I Corinthians 15:32 -- " . . . what advantageth it me, if
the dead rise not? Let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we
die."

- Evidently the position Solomon accepted during the days
of his apostasy. Also seen in 1:9, 1:15, 3:1-9,14-15.

- In 9:11-12 Solomon asserts that the time of death is
unpredictable. Verse 11 -- " . . . but time and chance
happeneth to them all."

5. Is death a source of vanity and hopelessness to the
Christian? How should we regard death?

- The most natural of events. Hebrews 9:27 -- It is
appointed unto men once to die, but after this the
judgment.

- Mortality, in God's plan, is outlined in Genesis 2-3.
Adam and Eve rebelled against God and were denied further
access to the Tree of Life. Their status as creatures
proceeded, then, to its natural conclusion.

- Bible speaks of death as the result of sin. Genesis 2:17
-- God said to Adam, "in the day that you eat of it you
will die."

b. Spiritual death

- Ezekiel 18:20 -- The soul that sinneth it shall die . . .

- Paul in Romans 1:32 spoke of certain sinners "Who knowing
the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are
worthy of death . . . "

- Romans 6:23 -- For the wages of sin is death.

c. Victory over death -- Romans 7:24-25 -- O wretched man
that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this
death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then
with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the
flesh the law of sin.

- The scriptures face death as they face all reality. The
emphasis in scriputure, however, is in life; death is
treated as that from which we are saved.

- Christ took upon our nature "that through death he might
destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the
devil."

- Christ used death to deliver men from death. Through
death, Christ put away sin. Romans 6:10 -- For in that he
died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he
liveth unto God.

- The extent of the victory over death that Christ won is
indicated by his resurrection.

- Romans 6:9 -- Knowing that Christ being raised from the
dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.

6. What does Christ's victory over death mean for us as
Christians?

- We can face death without fear. Psalm 23:4 -- Yea though
I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will
fear no evil, for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff,
they comfort me.

- The believer will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalm 23:6 -- Surely goodness and love will follow me all
the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the
Lord forever.

- Paul said, For me to live is Christ; to die is gain.
Philippians 2:21.

- Those who die in the Lord are blessed. Revelation 14:13
--

. . . Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from
henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from
their labours; and their works do follow them.

- Believers go to the Father's house to be with him. John
14:1-4 -- Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in
God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many
mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to
prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place
for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself;
that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye
know, and the way ye know.

- We can have comfort concerning those who have died and
are asleep in Jesus. I Thessalonians 4:13-18 -- For I would
not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them
which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which
have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose
again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God
bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the
Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of
the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the
Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with
the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and
the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are
alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in
the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we
ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with
these words.

- In life or death, we are the Lord's. Romans 14:8 -- For
whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die,
we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we
are the Lord's.

- Jesus is the resurrection and the life. John 11:25-26 --
I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in
me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever
liveth and believeth in me shall never die.

- Nothing, not even death, can separate us from the love of
God. Romans 8:38-39 -- For I am persuaded, that neither
death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor
powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height,
nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to
separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus
our Lord.

- Death will be swallowed up in victory. I Corinthians
15:55-57 -- O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is
thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of
sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the
victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Conclusion

- Solomon's understanding of death seemed, at least during
the times of his apostasy, to be marked by pessimism.

- In the first chapter, observing natural processes
indicates that nothing is left over from one cycle of
nature to another.

- He seems to indicate that he doesn't fully understand
what will come after our lives under the sun are over. We
might as well enjoy what work we've been given to do.

- No one who is here, under the sun, would know. The answer
must come from one who is from beyond the sun.

- If death is, as Solomon seems to be saying, the final
end, then life's story is vanity with a vengeance.

- This lesson regarding Solomon's views of death drives
home the need for a saviour.

- We don't have to view death as something mysterious or
dreadful. We can approach it with confidence because of our
faith in Christ, who was victorious over death.

1. How does the subject of death relate to Solomon's
discussion
of vanity? Ecclesiastes 1:4-11; 2:16-19

2. What does Ecclesiastes 3:19-21 reveal about Solomon's
perspective on the meaning of death?

3. How does the thought of death influence Solomon's
thoughts
about riches in Ecclesiastes 5:13-17?

4. What in Ecclesiastes 9:2-6 seems to indicate Solomon's
despair regarding the subject of death?

5. Is death a source of vanity and hopelessness to the
Christian? How should we regard death? Psalm 23;
Philippians 2:21;
Rev. 14:13; John 14:1-4; I Thess 4:13-18; Romans 14:8;
John 11:25-26; Romans 8:38-39; I Cor 15:55-57

6. What does Christ's victory over death mean for us as
Christians?

God's Plan of Salvation

You must hear the gospel and then understand and recognize that you are lost without Jesus Christ no matter who you are and no matter what your background is. The Bible tells us that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Before you can be saved, you must understand that you are lost and that the only way to be saved is by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:8) Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

You must believe and have faith in God because “without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) But neither belief alone nor faith alone is sufficient to save. (James 2:19; James 2:24; Matthew 7:21)

You must repent of your sins. (Acts 3:19) But repentance alone is not enough. The so-called “Sinner’s Prayer” that you hear so much about today from denominational preachers does not appear anywhere in the Bible. Indeed, nowhere in the Bible was anyone ever told to pray the “Sinner’s Prayer” to be saved. By contrast, there are numerous examples showing that prayer alone does not save. Saul, for example, prayed following his meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:11), but Saul was still in his sins when Ananias met him three days later (Acts 22:16). Cornelius prayed to God always, and yet there was something else he needed to do to be saved (Acts 10:2, 6, 33, 48). If prayer alone did not save Saul or Cornelius, prayer alone will not save you. You must obey the gospel.
(2 Thess. 1:8)

You must confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. (Romans 10:9-10) Note that you do NOT need to make Jesus “Lord of your life.” Why? Because Jesus is already Lord of your life whether or not you have obeyed his gospel. Indeed, we obey him, not to make him Lord, but because he already is Lord. (Acts 2:36) Also, no one in the Bible was ever told to just “accept Jesus as your personal savior.” We must confess that Jesus is the Son of God, but, as with faith and repentance, confession alone does not save. (Matthew 7:21)

Having believed, repented, and confessed that Jesus is the Son of God, you must be baptized for the remission of your sins. (Acts 2:38) It is at this point (and not before) that your sins are forgiven. (Acts 22:16) It is impossible to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ without teaching the absolute necessity of baptism for salvation. (Acts 8:35-36; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Peter 3:21) Anyone who responds to the question in Acts 2:37 with an answer that contradicts Acts 2:38 is NOT proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Once you are saved, God adds you to his church and writes your name in the Book of Life. (Acts 2:47; Philippians 4:3) To continue in God’s grace, you must continue to serve God faithfully until death. Unless they remain faithful, those who are in God’s grace will fall from grace, and those whose names are in the Book of Life will have their names blotted out of that book. (Revelation 2:10; Revelation 3:5; Galatians 5:4)

What is the church of Christ?

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus promised to build a church.
In Acts 2:47, Luke tells us that people were being
added to that church. Thus, we can conclude that Jesus
built His church sometime between His promise in
Matthew 16 and Luke’s statement in Acts 2. Indeed, a
closer study of the events in Acts 2 reveals that the
Lord’s church was established on that first day of
Pentecost following the Lord’s resurrection when Peter
preached the first gospel sermon. That church is the church of Christ.

A common misconception about the church of Christ is
that “The Church of Christ” is its name. It is not. The
“church of Christ” is its description. The church of
Christ is the church that belongs to Christ, that was
established by Christ, that was built by Christ, and
that was bought by Christ. It is not our church; it is
His church, the Lord’s church. We are not voted into
the church by men, and we do not join a church the way
some might join a country club. Instead, God adds us to
His church when we obey His gospel.

Are those in the church of Christ the only people
who are going to be saved? Of course they are! God
adds people to His church when they are saved. If you
are not in the Lord’s church, then you are not saved.
If you are saved, then you are in the Lord’s church. To
be saved outside of the church of Christ is to be saved
outside of the body of Christ – and that can never
happen. Jesus is not just a way to the Father; he is
the way to the Father. As Jesus said in John 14:6, “ I
am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto
the Father, but by me.”

Thus, the real question is not what is the church of
Christ, but is rather how do you become a part of the
church of Christ? That question was asked in the first
century as it is asked today, and the answer remains
the same. We are saved and added to the Lord’s church
when we obey the gospel of Jesus Christ. Like the
Apostle Paul, we are saved when our sins are washed
away at our baptism.

There is one church of Christ. If you are a member
of something else or something more or something less,
then you are not serving God according to His plan or
according to His will. He wants you to be a Christian
and only a Christian, wearing only the name of His Son,
Jesus Christ, who is the head and the savior of the
church, His body.

What Must I Do?

What must I do? That same question was asked in Acts 2:37 at the end of the very first gospel sermon ever preached. Before we look at Peter’s answer in verse 38, let’s look at some answers Peter did NOT give.

What must I do? John Calvin answers, “Nothing!” According to Calvin, there is nothing we must do and nothing we can do. Each of us has already been personally predestined to Heaven or Hell without regard to anything we do on Earth, and so, logically, according to Calvin, the only answer to the question in Acts 2:37 is “Nothing.” But that is NOT how Peter answered that question.

What must I do? Many preachers today answer, “You must make Jesus the Lord of your life.” But that answer makes absolutely no sense then or now! Peter had just said in Acts 2:36 that “God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” Jesus was already Lord of their lives! Jesus is Lord of lords and King of kings, which means he is your Lord and your King whether or not you obey him or believe him. We obey Jesus because he is Lord and King – not to make him Lord and King.

What must I do? Many preachers today answer, “You must pray the sinner’s prayer and invite the Lord Jesus into you heart.” But no one in the Bible was ever told to do that. In fact, Paul prayed after he saw Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:11), and yet Paul was still in his sins when Ananias met him three days later (Acts 22:16). Cornelius prayed to God always (Acts 10:2), and yet there remained something he still had to do after calling for Peter (Acts 10:6). If praying the sinner’s prayer was all that Paul and Cornelius needed to do, then why were Ananias and Peter needed?

What must I do? Listen as Peter answers that question: “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Acts 2:38) That answer has not changed one bit in the intervening 2000 years. If your preacher is telling you something different, then you need a new preacher! “And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” (Acts 22:16)

We also have 24 lessons on First Corinthians. In this epistle, Paul deals with many current issues facing the church both then and now: immorality, divorce and remarriage, the role of women, spiritual gifts, the importance of love, and the resurrection of the body.

We have 25 lessons on Second Corinthians. In this epistle, Paul continues to deal with problems facing the church in Corinth, which now include an influx of false apostles who are belittling Paul and demeaning his apostolic authority.

We have 13 lessons on James and Jude, the two letters written by the earthly (half)-brothers of Christ. They have much to tell us about the Christian life and how we are to contend for the faith in a godless world.